Less than 48 hours following their latest playoff exit, the Chargers fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin on Tuesday.
Coach Jim Harbaugh was noticeably noncommittal about Roman’s future after the Chargers’ 16-3 loss in the AFC wild-card playoffs on Sunday night, saying the team was “going to look at that.”
The decision comes after two dreadful performances by the Chargers’ offense in consecutive one-and-done playoff losses. Last season, the Chargers lost to the Houston Texans 32-12 after Justin Herbert threw four interceptions.
Against the Patriots, the Chargers appeared even more listless as Herbert struggled to connect with his receivers, completing 19 of 31 passes for 159 yards. The Chargers’ final five possessions ended with three punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs. The Chargers had just 207 total yards of offense.
Herbert was sacked six times behind an injury-ravaged offensive line that proved to be the offense’s weak point after Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt were lost to season-ending injuries.
Adding to the difficulties was a running game that struggled for consistency after Najee Harris tore his Achilles tendon in Week 3. Rookie running back Omarion Hampton missed six games with a fractured left ankle and played sparingly against the Patriots after injuring his right ankle in Week 17.
Harbaugh and Roman have a long history. Harbaugh hired Roman to his Stanford staff in 2009 and he served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers a decade ago. Roman also worked under John Harbaugh as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2019-22.
This is a developing story. The Times will have more on Roman and Devlin soon.